From: llurch@networking.stanford.edu (Rich Graves)
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 1995 20:58:51 +0800
To: lestat@richmond.infi.net (Terry Harrison)
Subject: Re: Password File Utility Wanted [Win95, ha ha]
In-Reply-To: <48888p$970@news.infi.net>
Message-ID: <199511140428.UAA03630@Networking.Stanford.EDU>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


(A copy of this message has also been posted to the following newsgroups:
comp.os.ms-windows.win95.misc, alt.security,comp.security.misc)

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In article <48888p$970@news.infi.net>, lestat@richmond.infi.net
(Terry Harrison) wrote:

>I would like to obtain a program to address the following.....
>
>I use the 'remember password' option on my network logins, and then
>when they expire, I don't remember what they were.  This is bad as I
>need them to change the old password (particularly a problem with
>Netware).  What I would like is a utility that would prompt me for my
>current windows ID for security, then decode the .pwl files so that I
>could read my old passwords.  Ideally, it would allow an edit of the
>existing passwords as well.  Anybody seen onea these??

Such a thing could exist, because Win95 allows you to save passwords that
use different encryption methods. Microsoft would say "no, doesn't exist,"
however, because this is a major security flaw. I haven't seen such a
tool, though. Anybody?

What you should do is get a real encryption package like PGP (poke
around on http://web.mit.edu/ or http://www.netresponse.com/zldf/, it's
free), use something that is long and complicated but that you will never
ever forget as your PGP passphrase, and encrypt a text file containing
all of your passwords with PGP. You can put other stuff like all your
credit card numbers in a PGP-encrypted file with reasonable safety too.
You (only) will be able to decrypt and read this file whenever you want.

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-- 
rich graves, llurch@networking.stanford.edu
moderator of the win95netbugs list
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~llurch/win95netbugs/faq.html